This weekend has been a flurry of activity for me. On Friday, Aaron and I got the call to go pick up a little guy that will be part of our family for the time being. It was a pretty traumatic situation that we stepped into, and by God’s grace, we were able to love and listen while our new little friend worked his way through a grief that no child should ever have to experience.

This morning, as I reflect on the past two days, I’m filled with gratitude and purpose.

Gratitude. First of all, I’m so grateful to be able to be a safe place for this child. Last night, he was struggling with bedtime – I think that’s when the grief of separation is hardest to put aside. He asked me to read him a story. When the story was over, I just sat on the floor beside his bed providing presence so that he wouldn’t be alone as he drifted off to sleep. And I’m so thankful for the honor of providing refuge and care for this little broken heart.

I’m also full of gratitude for all of us who never had to experience anything like this because by God’s grace, we never had to be pulled away from our families. I’m pretty sure none of us had a perfect childhood, but we probably don’t have to look far to understand that we have so much for which to be thankful.

As I watched Friday’s events unfolding, I also felt overwhelming gratitude for caseworkers – intake caseworkers, placement caseworkers, ongoing caseworkers. If ever I have seen a tough and thankless job, they have it. Really, they are heroic – rescuers who are willing to step into situations that you and I wouldn’t ever want to step into. They are willing to be perceived as ‘bad guys’ so that children can be safe.

I’m thankful for the overwhelming support we have received from our family and friends this weekend. So many people praying and giving, extending love toward this little one who most of them have yet to meet. We couldn’t do this without a support system, and God has blessed us with the best. 🙂

Lastly, I’m grateful for God and His heart for those who are defenseless. I’m grateful for the love He has for all of us and how he provides His presence to us so that we don’t have to be alone. We learn to do that for others because He has done that for us.

‘“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”‘ (Deuteronomy 10:17-19, NLT)

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
    this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
God places the lonely in families;
    he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” (Psalm 68:5-6, NLT)

“God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1, NLT)

Purpose. On Sunday morning after a busy weekend filled with the unexpected addition of a little one and all the busyness that brings, I am filled with purpose. I want to love this little guy with the best love I can give him. I want him to feel safe and to know that he is loved beyond imagination by the God who created him. I want to be quick to make the small sacrifices of time and energy that are required to provide a space for him in our hearts and home in which he can thrive for as many days, weeks, or months that he is here.

And I know that there are so many more just like him. Children who today will experience the grief of being separated from their families and put in the homes of strangers. I want to advocate for these children and to inspire others to entertain the possibility of opening their hearts and homes too.

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27, NLT)

Dear Father, thank You for the way You have loved us. Thank You for Your presence with us and for giving us opportunities to share Your love and presence with others. I pray for every child who has been or will be experiencing the pain of separation from their families. Please watch over them and provide for them safe and loving homes where they can find refuge and care. Amen.

-Dana

I’m not sure if I heard it before I heard it from him, but I am sure the phrase “Keep it simple, stupid,” is in my mind forever connected to my father-in-law. Makes sense that a military principle should be a favorite quote of a Vietnam vet, right? For those of you not familiar, Wikipedia can fill you in… 

“KISS, an acronym for keep it simple, stupid, is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson. The term “KISS principle” was in popular use by 1970. Variations on the phrase include: “Keep it simple, silly”, “keep it short and simple”, “keep it simple and straightforward”, “keep it small and simple”, “keep it simple, soldier”, or “keep it simple, sailor”.”

Simple. Straightforward. Jesus’ teachings embodied this pattern long before 1960. The Pharisees and Sadducees and all the religious leaders of His day were hyper-focused on a moral code that had become very complicated. Requirements for washing and eating and giving and working. For example, to clarify the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy and refrain from work, the Jewish rabbis had created 39 separate categories and multiple sub-categories to define “work.” There were instructions about how many steps you could take on the Sabbath (and they didn’t even have FitBits) and how many letters you could write. 

“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ 

Jesus replied, ‘’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40 

Simple. Straightforward. Love God and love others. 

Sometimes I find myself stewing about what to do or how I don’t measure up. Often things seem pretty complicated in my mind. What is God’s will? I need to remind myself to KISS. Jesus already told me – Love God. Love others. 

The prophet Micah put it this way, 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 

Simple. Simple, but not easy. In fact, impossible. For me to think that I can love God and love others and act justly and love mercy and walk humbly with God is to set myself up to fail. Maybe sometimes I can do those things, but I am like Paul… 

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. … For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Romans 7:15,18b 

Even Jesus knew it was not easy. 

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 

Thankfully, He gave Himself as the way. 

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. …I am the gate; whotever enters through me will be saved.’” John 10:7,9 

He promised that if we come to Him, that being connected to Him will make the work easy. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 

So, keep it simple, Leah. Back to basics. Connect to Jesus. Abide in Him. Remember that His way is simple – Love God. Love others. Do justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God. Because of Him, you can live this way. 

Jesus, once again I find myself at Your feet, in awe of You. Your way is perfect. Your love has made a way for me to do what I could never do on my own. Please keep teaching me to live in simple faith. 

-Leah

Green grass. Buds on tree branches. Daffodils. Birds singing. Signs of spring. For some reason this year, spring feels extra special. Maybe it’s because it seemed like a really long winter.

I’ve been struck this year by what spring teaches us about the character of God. It has definite significance on this day, Easter. Our God specializes in bringing the dead to life. Spring is a picture of that, and we get a yearly reminder. Shades of gray give way to a kaleidoscope of colors. The cold is chased away by the sunshine.

How does this happen? I’m not very scientific, but it is enough for me to know that it is God who brings new life. He is working behind the scenes in the winter even when we can’t see it.

Resurrection. What has died coming back to life. It’s a beautiful thing, and God is an expert at it.

I’m reminded of two sisters whose brother, Lazarus, had died. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, were close friends of Jesus. As we read the account of Lazarus’ death in John, we come across a very interesting verse –

“A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling Him, ‘Lord, your dear friend is very sick.’

But when Jesus heard about it He said, ‘Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.’ So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He stayed where He was for the next two days.” (John 11:1-6, NLT)

Did you catch that in verse 6? Although Jesus loved them, He stayed where He was for two days. Doesn’t that seem odd? It’s not the expected response. We would expect it to say that because He loved them, He rushed to help them. But that’s not what it says, and that’s not what He did.

I don’t think it’s what Mary and Martha expected either. Let’s check out their responses to Jesus when He finally arrived on the scene.

“When Jesus arrived at Bethany, He was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask.'” (John 11:17-22, NLT)

Martha went to meet Jesus, but Mary stayed in the house. Then, Martha expressed her belief that if Jesus had been present sooner, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. Remember, although He loved them, He stayed away for two more days. Had he not done that, He might have arrived before Lazarus died and could have healed Him. Jesus then gave her an indication of what was about to happen –

 “Jesus told her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’

‘Yes,’ Martha said, ‘he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day.’

Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him. ‘I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.'” (John 11:23-27, NLT) 

Martha’s belief in who Jesus was collided with the reality of her circumstance. Yes, Jesus, You are the Messiah. Yes, Lazarus will rise at the last day. But what about now? Why didn’t You intervene? You had the power to keep this from happening, but You didn’t. How can I reconcile Your character with the reality of what has happened?

Have you ever been there? I love this story so much because of how much I can relate with Martha here. I have had these moments. Lord, You are powerful enough to have intervened, but You chose not to. How can I reconcile what I know is true of Your character with the reality of my situation? You are good, but this circumstance is not. I know You could fix it, but You haven’t chosen to. It’s winter, winter, winter.

Next, Martha went to get Mary. Let’s read on –

“Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, ‘The Teacher is here and wants to see you.’ So Mary immediately went to Him.

Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met Him. When the people who were at the house consoling Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there. When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at His feet and said, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.'” (John 11:28-32, NLT)

What did Mary say? She said the SAME THING that Martha had said. Lord, if You had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. All this heartache was avoidable.

What was Jesus’ answer to these grieving sisters? I AM the resurrection and the life. Resurrection isn’t just something Jesus does, it’s part of who He is. He brings the dead to life. He takes impossible situations and infuses them with hope.

Martha and Mary weren’t the only ones that day who questioned Jesus’ timing.

“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within Him, and He was deeply troubled. ‘Where have you put him?’ He asked them.

They told Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Then Jesus wept. The people who were standing nearby said, ‘See how much He loved him!’ But some said, ‘This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying?'” (John 11:33-37, NLT)

Couldn’t He have kept Lazarus from dying? Yes. He most certainly could have. Why didn’t He? He had a higher purpose.

“Jesus was still angry as He arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. ‘Roll the stone aside,’ Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, ‘Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.‘

Jesus responded, ‘Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?‘ So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, thank You for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe You sent Me.’ Then Jesus shouted, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, ‘Unwrap him and let him go!‘” (John 11:38-44, NLT)

God’s glory. That’s what it’s all about. Friends, when we have a difficult time reconciling what we know of God’s character with the hard circumstance we’re in, we have to remember that we will see God’s glory if we believe. When we are tempted to say, “Jesus, if You would have been here, this wouldn’t have happened,” we must remind ourselves that He WAS there. He IS here. Sometimes, although He loves us, He waits. Why? Because He wants us to see God’s glory. He wants us to persevere through the winter because spring is coming.

No matter what difficult circumstances or trials we find ourselves in today, no matter what dreams of ours have died, no matter what is causing our winter to seem so long and hard, we can run to Jesus. Instead of telling Him that these bad things have happened to us as a result of His absence, we can embrace His presence and trust Him. We can choose to believe that spring is coming. New life is coming. Hope is on the horizon.

He is the resurrection and the life. Let’s breathe in the new life of spring all around us and remind ourselves that the One who conquered death and rose again is with us, and we will see God’s glory if we believe.

Dear Father, thank You for spring! Thank You for the yearly reminder that You are able to bring to life those things that have died. Help us not to question Your presence with us when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances. Please give us the grace to remember that resurrection isn’t just something Jesus does, but it is part of who He is. Most of all, please give us faith to believe that You are at work even when we can’t see it. May we see Your glory!

-Dana

Not long ago, my youngest son was describing some artwork he had made at school, and I suggested we hang it on our refrigerator. For some reason, we started wondering together if anyone would notice if we put it there, and he made the comment that his older brother may not notice what is on the outside of the fridge, but he definitely pays attention to what is on the inside!  We laughed, but we both knew he spoke truth!

Really, we can all agree that what is inside the refrigerator is more important than what’s on the outside. This is reminiscent of what Jesus said. 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:25-28 

OK, I’ll admit it, keeping the inside of my refrigerator clean is hard work. We cook large meals and store leftovers. Things get spilled and not cleaned up very well or in a timely fashion. Cleaning the refrigerator is one of those chores that can fall prey to procrastination; if someone stops in, they don’t usually see the inside of the fridge. Honestly, with regard to keeping a tidy house, the outside of the refrigerator probably takes precedence. But, my family knows what the inside of the fridge looks like. They care that there is food inside and that it is fresh and in containers that are not sticky. And when people come and spend more than a minute in our home, the odds that they will see inside the refrigerator dramatically increase. 

What is inside matters, and it matters more than keeping the outside looking good. This, of course, applies to me. If I care about making a good first impression or keeping up appearances, it makes sense to focus on the outside of me, the surface that is visible to everyone. But when it comes to my family and people that spend more than a minute with me, it’s all about the inside. 

Today in church we heard about a passage in 2 Corinthians that takes this a little farther. 

2 Corinthians 4:2 says, “We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.” And verse 7 contrasts hiding shameful things inside with being a container for God’s presence and power: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” 

The default status of all of us is to be filled with dirt and sin. We can’t clean ourselves up, not on the inside. Maybe that’s why we work on the outside instead – at least there we can make some progress. Thankfully, turning to Jesus is like pitching all the spoiled stuff out of the fridge and starting over, filled with Him. It is letting Him wash us and fill us with the fruit of the Holy Spirit (too delicious not to list – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23). 

And after the first big cleaning, we continue to open our doors for more cleaning. We allow God’s light to shine on the spots where sin has lingered or crept back in, and we cooperate with His power that transforms us. 

“You desire truth in the inward being, therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:6,7,10 

What’s inside ultimately ends up outside. 

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:43-45 

If I want to have a positive effect on others and point them to what (Who) will make all the difference in their lives, what’s inside of me needs to be the good treasure of Jesus. 

Back to 2 Corinthians 4, this time verse 6: “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 

God, thanks that I don’t have to try to clean myself up. Thanks that I don’t have to hide from what’s inside me because of my lack of power to change. Your power can start, continue, and finish the work of filling me with Your presence and making me like Jesus. I open my doors so You can work in me. Teach me to pay attention to what’s inside and not be so worked up about the outside. Use me to share the good fruit that comes from You with the people around me. 

-Leah

People with diabetes need foot exams, shoes-and-socks-off assessments for nerve damage and any signs of ulcers or high-risk areas.  Come with me into the exam room where a foot exam has just been completed.  The patient is seated on a chair to the right of the doctor, his feet bare.  His wife is seated in the corner across from him, and the doctor is on his wheeled stool, filling out the paperwork needed to confirm the medical necessity of specialized “diabetic footwear.”  It is 12:15.  The doctor has had a busy morning, fast-paced and filled with decisions and diagnoses and interactions with patients and their families and with his team.  His stomach is rumbling, and he is ready to take a break and eat.  And, as much as he enjoys caring for patients, he is not a fan of filling out forms.  But he is pushing onward, getting it done, propelling himself toward lunch.   

And then he stops.  All at once, in the midst of a job that is rather routine for him, his thoughts turn from the paper in front of him and from the lunch ahead of him to the patient beside him.  It is time for the socks and shoes to go back on.  The patient knows that and is shifting in his seat, leaning forward a bit.  It is clear that he is not physically able to bend down and put on his own shoes and socks.  His wife sees this and, herself with significant mobility issues, is gearing up to come over and help get the job done.  The doctor sees also, and for what takes only a few seconds, he has an internal dialogue.   

“You need to put his shoes and socks on for him. 

She can get it – she does it every day.  I’m helping already by completing this authorization.   

It would just take a minute. 

It’s awkward.  It might make him embarrassed if I do that.   

Remember the study last night?  Jesus washing His disciples’ feet?” 

And the thoughts turn to action as the doctor gets up and stoops down and puts on his patient’s socks and shoes.

This is a true story.  It happened on Thursday and was told Thursday evening when dad and mom and son were having a discussion about jobs that are unpleasant but valuable.   

I thought of it again as I drove to work on Friday.  How beautiful!  Spending time studying God’s Word in community with other believers on Wednesday night led to a changed moment on Thursday.  That moment influenced me (and hopefully my son).  Who knows what effect it had on the patient or his wife?  It is a perfect example of what the apostle James was writing about: 

“Don’t, I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves.  The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror.  He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror.  But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets.  He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.”  James 1:22-25 PHILLIPS 

Don’t just hear.  Put it into practice.  Make a habit of looking into God’s Word, and do what it says.  This is transformation.  It happens one decision at a time, and its effects ripple across families and communities, multiplying the transformation and spreading the love of Jesus.   

Paul said, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:9 

Practice.  The potential for us to live like Jesus is present because of God’s grace.  That grace has planted faith in our hearts and is available in abundant supply to allow our transformation to Christlikeness.  We choose to “put into practice.”  We exercise the grace we have been given in multiple moments throughout our days.  In his book The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity, Matthew Kelly calls the times where we choose to cooperate with God “holy moments.”  He claims that these seemingly small movements can translate into changes that have the potential to change our culture.  There is no doubt that they change us.   

Mentioned in a previous post is the book The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.  This is advice from the 17^th century about allowing God into your day and your life by starting small and by training your thoughts.   

Don’t worry that you are not good enough or not ready – the very word practice implies that you are a work in progress.  It also implies repetition and some discomfort. 

“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise both for the present and the life to come. 

This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”  I Timothy 4:8-10 

Of course let’s practice reading the Bible and doing what it says.  That’s a must. 

Let’s practice encouraging and gathering with other believers.  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:24-25 

Let’s practice joy and patience and prayer and generosity and hospitality.  “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”  Romans 12:13-15 

Let’s practice filling our minds with “these things.”  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”  Philippians 4:8 

Let’s practice praying instead of worrying.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  Philippians 4:6 

When we fail, let’s practice getting back at it instead of being stuck.   

God has given us “everything we need for life and godliness” (II Peter 1:3).  Let’s practice! 

I typically close with a prayer, but today I close with a challenge.  Right now, as you finish reading, practice praying.  Ask God to let you know where to practice today and to remind you to practice as the day and the week roll on.   

-Leah